Geoffrey Wilson

Currently Teaching

Notes: Music in contemporary film today represents the most important point of contact for many people with the great symphonic musical traditions that underpin Western musical culture and also (for good and bad) serves as a primary point of contact for the music and culture of non-Western peoples. Films are also filled with popular music, and the intersection of music and image does important work in creating our image of ourselves as a people, giving us common references that are essential for a vibrant culture. The great irony of film music is that, for a long time and still in many cases, film scores were designed to be almost unheard. Music slips in and out of the narrative, usually without drawing our attention. It is for this reason that the early film composers were much maligned by their art music contemporaries. Even now, when the scholarly study of film music is relatively common, many people simply do not hear the wonderful things going on in the score. Therefore, we will begin by re-learning how to listen to film, how to hear what in places has been artfully concealed. Our focus will be on the music of Hollywood film, since its richness could never be exhausted by a single course. If you have interests in European cinema, Bollywood or other filmic traditions, you will get some exposure to them in this course and hopefully will feel inspired to look and listen to these films in a new and rewarding way.

Notes: Canadian Identity in and through The Tragically Hip. Formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1983, The Tragically Hip have become more closely identified with Canadian identity than any other musician/musical group of their generation. Unlike many Canadian musicians whose early domestic success led to major international fame (musicians as diverse as Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Justin Bieber and Michael Bublé), the Hip's intense popularity inside Canada has not been matched with any particular critical or commercial success in the United States or elsewhere. In part, this can be explained by the strong sense of place in the band's lyrics, penned by Gord Downie. Canadian geography 'both physical and social' echo across the band's oeuvre, from 'Bobcaygeon' to 'Wheat Kings' and beyond. More than this, the evolution of the Hip's music and lyrics have paralleled some important political and social developments in Canada, supporting various justice initiatives, beginning with the unjust incarceration of David Milgaard. Most recently, this concern with social justice is evident in Downie¿s album The Secret Path (2016) which turned the true story of a young indigenous boy's death fleeing from Residential School in the 1960s into a concept album that resonates strongly with key aims of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. All of this suggests the music of the Hip as the nexus through which to study various constructions of Canadian identity through the close reading of many songs from their 13 studio albums, essays and live performances and side projects. In addition to in-depth study of their oeuvre, the course will consider larger issues of Canadian identities, such as what role music plays in identity formation, and enduring concerns about who shapes such identities.